He walked over to the bench where he had left the bags. He began pulling things out. Women’s clothes, all black. Boxes.

“The things you showed me online,” she said.

Ashley remained still as he held one black dress against her front. Strapless, there were black feathers at the far left and far right of the upper portion, so they swept back off each shoulder.

“Yes,” she said.

He held up another. Lacy, partially transparent, with patches that were opaque, strategically placed for modesty.

“No.”

“I didn’t think so. I kind of hoped, though,” he said.

“Save your hope for things with a better chance of happening,” she said.

He stepped around behind her, placing a classy feather boa around her neck. All of the other boas she’d seen like this had been Halloween things, joke things. This was glossy, elegant.

“Maybe,” she said. She turned to the others, seeing that Nick had returned. “Everyone should get ready to go. We have things to do tonight.”

“It would need to match with more of an ensemble,” he said.

“It would, yes.” She remained still as he held out another dress. Simpler. Too simple. There was nothing to it. “And no.”

“Can we save it?” J asked. “I think it could work with other pieces. It’s a good base.”

“If you insist,” she said.

“What do you think about this jacket, then?” J asked.

She waited as he pulled it out and shook it to get it unfolded. The jacket was the sort that stopped partway down her back. The sleeves were narrow, and the collar was heavily decorated with bits of plastic.

She liked it, and there was no way she could wear it. Putting her arms through the sleeves would be tricky.

“No,” she said.

“Anyone else want it?” J asked. “I don’t think it would fit Angel, but… hm. Would your girlfriend want it, Nick?”

“Nah,” Nick said.

“I’ll take it,” O’Brien said.

J threw it to the boy. It was a woman’s jacket, but O’Brien didn’t seem to care. He wore jeans and tops that were too tight, and he wore them with confidence. He’d also been one of the first to wear the eye makeup, decorating one eye more than the other. What had they called it? Clockwork Orange style. She’d made a mental note to see it.

It would annoy her, because she liked the jacket, and he would be the one wearing it, but… she liked him well enough. She liked his confidence, even if he was weird.

She was doing that a lot, over the past few days. Giving these guys leeway, slack. Tolerating things she wouldn’t have two weeks ago, just because she liked them.

It worried her, the idea that she was compromising something, or showing a weakness that someone would see.